Neville Longbottom and the Eye of the Storm
by NightLilyWanderer
Summary: What would happen if Neville Longbottom was the chosen one, and James and Lily were still alive? Pre-Hogwarts. And I assure you, the story you know will change now that there's a new hero in town! Please review!
1. Chapter 1

"Severus?" Lily Potter stood in a night gown in the doorway of Godric's Hollow, her hair messy and one hand rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing here, Sev? What's happened?"

Before Snape had a chance to respond, James Potter appeared, yawning widely and glaring at Snape. "Go 'way, Snivellus!" He moaned. "I don't want a death eater near my wife and son!"

Lily put a hand on her husband's chest gently, as if to restrain him from attacking Snape. "Don't," she said warningly.

James scowled at her, but fortunately, before any fights could break out, there was a loud crack as Albus Dumbledore apparated right next to Snape.

"Sorry I'm so late, Severus. Have you told James and Lily what's happening yet?"

"Errm, no," Snape sheepishly muttered. "Sorry Albus."

"Severus, please! Just call me Dumbledore, you're not my mother."

"Okay… Dumbledore."

"Well, excuse me, Dumbledore," James interrupted rudely, "but why the hell did you get that bastard death eater to wake us up at three in the morning?"

"James!" Lily exclaimed. "Language!"

"You ought to be thanking Severus, not insulting him," said Dumbledore. "He saved your lives."

"What… what do you mean?" James asked.

"You see, James, Voldemort got hold of a particular prophecy, which he assumed referred to Harry." Dumbledore paused, seeing Lily's eyes widen in alarm. "Severus here, still being in love with you, Lily, pointed out that it could also be Neville Longbottom whom the prophecy referred to."

"Oh no," Lily breathed. Little Neville is dead?"

"No," Dumbledore sighed sadly. "But his parents are. They died to save Neville. Somehow, in those last moments. The affliction caused by Bellatrix's cruciatus curse ceased its effect on them, and they remembered to save the one thing that mattered – the boy. I'd like to think that they died as themselves."

"Oh my god…" Lily said sadly. "Poor Neville…"

"And that's exactly why I'm here," Dumbledore continued. "Neville's parents liked you, Lily, they trusted you. I believe they would have liked it if you looked after him."

Lily looked at Dumbledore, noticing the small bundle wrapped up that he held for the first time.

"Of course," Lily said, looking at James, who nodded, and said "We'll do anything to keep him and Harry safe."

Lily took Neville from Dumbledore, cradling him in her arms. She adjusted the blanket that Neville was wrapped in to get a better look at his face, and gasped in horror when she saw the squiggly scar across his forehead, shaped like a round, curvy 'S'. "What happened to him?" she asked, concern showing in her eyes.

"That is the scar that Voldemort left when he attempted to kill Neville," Dumbledore said.

"How did he survive the killing curse?" Lily asked.

"His mother saved him." Snape said.

"When she died to save him, that sacrifice protected him," added Dumbledore. "Well, Severus, we must be going now."

"Wait!" James cried out as Dumbledore turned to leave. "What about He who… erm, I mean, Voldemort?"

"Dead," Snape said flatly. "But Al… Dumbledore thinks that he will rise again."

"Precisely," Dumbledore said. "And when he does, Neville will be the only one who can defeat him. He is the chosen one."

"Look after them, James. Protect Lily!" Snape said desperately, and then Dumbledore grabbed his arm, and there was a crack as the two men disapparated, leaving James and Lily standing alone, staring at the dark, lonely cobblestone street, wondering what life would bring them next.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:**_** Yes, I know I should have put this on the first chapter, but I forgot. Anyway, I do not own any of these characters. JK Rowling does. I don't even own the whole plot, JK Rowling owns a bit of that too!**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Actionliker, here you go, I've updated like I promised. Good news is, it's the weekend tomorrow, more time to write! Started work on the third chapter, hope to have it posted tomorrow!**_

_**Cairo, hope you've found this and enjoyed it… :)**_

_**Everyone else, please review! I love hearing your feedback! Even if it's just short, knowing that you've read my story will make me happy! :D**_

_**And if you completely hate it… do tell me (in a nice way though). I'm trying my best, but if there's anything you think I should change about my writing, or there's a mistake I've made, TELL ME, or I won't know!**_

Dumbledore and Snape apparated just outside the entrance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and headed towards the castle, where loud complaints from tired students could be heard.

Dumbledore hadn't told the students yet, and he'd asked the other teachers who knew not to say anything – Lily and James deserved to be the first to know.

"Dumbledore?" Snape asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure I should even be here? I am a death eater after all…"

"Severus, I trust you. That's all that matters. Besides, you promised."

"Okay…" Snape sighed and trudged after Dumbledore. They entered the Great Hall, and there was a chorus of sighs and mutters of _'finally!'_ could be heard throughout the hall.

"Silence!" Dumbledore's voice rang across the Great Hall. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're all here." Several students nodded frantically, the rest all blinked up at him with sleepy curiosity.

"Voldemort is dead!" he exclaimed, and cheers rang through the hall; students and teachers hugged each other and cried from joy and relief. It took a couple of minutes for the hall to become quiet enough for Dumbledore to speak again, and when he did his voice was serious.

""Students, the death of Voldemort didn't come without sacrifice. Two others died that night – Frank and Alice Longbottom. Their boy lives though, Neville Longbottom. They died to save him," he said, and a mournful silence hung over the Great Hall, broken only by a few hushed whispers.

"Well, before you all go back to bed, I have an announcement to make. This is Professor Snape. He will be our new Potions teacher. Let's all welcome him, shall we?"

Snape stood up nervously as the students and teachers began to applaud, expecting someone to call him a death eater, a traitor. But nothing happened; nobody realized who he truly was, and when the applause died down Snape sat back down in his seat next to Minerva McGonagall, who smiled at him reassuringly.

And then a strange thing happened. A seventh year student at the front of the Ravenclaw table stood up and pulled out her wand, pointing it to the starry ceiling of the Great Hall and casting a small white light that floated up, reaching to touch the stars. A few of her friends stood up after her, repeating her gesture, and then a few brave Gryffindors joined in as well.

Dumbledore, then McGonagall did the same, and soon everyone was standing, casting lights for Frank and Alice, and every other life lost in the havoc that Voldemort wreaked upon the magical world.

It was hauntingly beautiful, the whole school silent, the hall filled with little white lights, and a few teachers had tears in their eyes, and Snape could feel tears welling up in his own, though he quickly hid them away. He wasn't an emotional person anymore, the pain of losing Lily to James had hurt him and turned him self-destructive, and joining the death eaters only made him angrier at himself, and he'd soon learnt to hide away his true emotions. Then Dumbledore had come along, given him salvation, a reason to fight, and things started to become better. He now felt more pain, and his time spent with the Dark Lord had made it so that he wouldn't tell anyone, he'd think it a sign of weakness, something to be ashamed of. And he didn't mind this new pain, because it kept the memories of the good times he had with Lily close, and even though it had torn a hole in his heart to see her with James at Godric's Hollow, he was glad to see her safe, alive, and still the same Lily he knew when they first met.

Snape's thoughts were interrupted by the raucous laughter and jeers of Peeves, Hogwarts' poltergeist, flying around the Great Hall yelling "Mouldy Voldy's dead! Hahahahaha!" which ended in some students throwing things at him (which of course fell straight through Peeves, him being a ghost and all), others yelling at him, and a few laughing nervously.

Somewhere amongst all of the hectic confusion that followed, Dumbledore yelled out that it was time for the students to return to their dormitories, and the prefects for each house began to run around trying to gather the students from their house. Eventually things settled down, and the students all went to bed and Snape left the Great Hall with Dumbledore.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Dumbledore said.

"Yeah… I guess."

They walked together, Dumbledore telling Snape everything he'd need to know for his first day teaching, and parted ways when they reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore and Snape said goodnight to each other, and Snape walked by himself to the Potions classroom, began organising it for the lessons that would begin the next day, hoping that nobody would ever find out the truth about him.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:**_** I still don't own any of the characters… I do own a bit more of the plot line… kind of…**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** MagicalNinjaUndies: So glad you liked the story, hope to include a bit more Neville in later chapters. I hope to keep uploading at least one chapter every day, I know this one's a bit short, I'll hopefully post another later on! Yes, I know James was a bit of an ass in the first chapter, he HAD been woken up at 3am, but I've made him a lot more likeable in this chapter, so none of you Jily shippers get angry at me. (I am a Snily shipper myself, but that doesn't mean Lily will end up with Snape… so far the story's just going where I feel it's going… I have no clue what might happen!) Keep reviewing guys, I love hearing your opinions on my writing, good or bad! Again, I'm so sorry this chapter was really short – it was starting to depress me a bit…**_

James wrapped an arm around Lily in comfort as tears began to slip down her cheeks, and the two of them walked back inside. Lily placed Neville gently into the cot next to Harry, and smiled through her tears when she saw him close his eyes and drift into a peaceful sleep.

James spoke up quietly, careful not to disturb the sleeping infants. "What will we tell him when he grows up?"

"Everything," was Lily's answer. "He deserves to know."

"Even… even about how it could have been us who died instead?"

"We tell him everything."

They both looked down at Neville sadly, wishing that it didn't have to be this way, that he didn't have to grow up not knowing his real parents. And they both felt guilty when they thought to themselves about how they were glad it wasn't them, but the Longbottom family who were hunted down by Voldemort. But at least Neville had family, he had them, and he wouldn't grow up alone.

Lily would miss Alice Longbottom; the two of them had started to get along really well, and sometimes when Lily was there it seemed like Alice was getting better, that maybe she could overcome the mental illness caused by Bellatrix's Cruciatus curse.

But Lily would never know, for Alice was gone forever now. She'd like to think that Alice and Frank would have gotten better, that they would have been themselves again. But things change, and now they were both gone, and Lily knew that the only way she could stop herself from feeling guilty that it was them, and not her that died would be to look after Neville, treat him as family, make sure that he never felt alone.

Lily brushed away her tears, and turned to go to bed. James held her throughout that night, comforted her when she cried, let her sleep whenever Harry or Neville began to wail.

Lily was glad James was there for her that night, and though neither of them slept much, they'd been there for each other. If the deaths of Alice and Frank Longbottom had changed her in any way, it had made her appreciate life more, the fact that she had James and Harry, and the importance of family.

Lily eventually managed to sleep that night, but her dreams were filled with fear and sadness, and James would wake up to her screams, and she'd cry into his shoulder. And when the first rays of sunlight touched the morning sky, Lily found that the light brought hope, a chance for a fresh start, a new, safe life.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:**_** None of these characters are mine. Still. Though I really want to kidnap a few of them…**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Cairo, I'm so relieved that you loved it, now I won't have to feel as guilty about writing this when I should be practicing for Drama…**_

_**To those of you who've made it to this chapter, thank you! I'd love it if you let me know what you think of the story so far! This chapter is all about Snape and Lily's past… I know, for a story about Neville, I am getting side-tracked… please tell me if this annoys you, and I'll get back to Neville…**_

_Snape looked across the gardens at Lily from where he sat with a few Slytherin friends, noticing the way her hair fell around her shoulders as she bent her head down to read her book, how in the dappled light shining through the leaves of the tree she sat under danced on her hair. She was beautiful, her hair red and orange like the autumn leaves that drifted in the cool breeze, her eyes as green as the soft grass that grew by her feet._

_He regretted calling her a Mudblood – he'd been angry, he'd said things he didn't mean, and now he'd lost her._

_Snape wished he could make things better, turn back time and take away those words he'd said, but he couldn't, and now Lily wouldn't talk to him, she'd turned her back. He'd screwed things up, and now nothing could be the same again._

_Lily's anger towards him was stunning, she was radiant, like fire, her green eyes flashing with annoyance, flames dancing when she would turn abruptly and storm away. If Lily had been like a small, dainty nymph before, the quiet girl who would stop to watch a small blue butterfly flutter past, then she was now a goddess of fire, beautiful, yet terrifying._

_Her anger had died though, no longer a raging fire, but smouldering. Lily was angry with the Potter boy too, Snape had noticed, she couldn't stand his arrogance, and hated it when Potter and his friends bullied him. Lily was still angry with Snape though, and he only made matters worse by picking fights with Potter and his friends. Snape didn't care though, because he knew he'd never get Lily back again, and now nothing mattered. He loathed himself for what he'd done, knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness._

_So Snape would sit there, sometimes alone, sometimes surrounded by other Slytherins he barely knew, and he'd look over at Lily, who'd be sitting there by herself, every day, content to just read or write, and he'd feel an empty hole in his heart where he knew she belonged, and he'd know it was all his fault._

_And then she'd look up, her green eyes meeting his across the gardens, catching him looking. Lily's eyes would narrow, and Snape would turn his head away, blushing, hoping that someday he'd see her smile at him again._

_Lily looked up from her book with the feeling that someone was watching her, and noticed Severus looking at her from where he sat. He quickly looked away when she narrowed her eyes, and she found herself thinking about how cute he looked when he was ashamed. Lily pushed that thought aside, feeling guilty with herself. Sev had betrayed her, hurt her. He'd called her a Mudblood, and she'd ran, not listening when he called out her name, not stopping even when he tried to run after her. And then she'd hidden away, curled up in her bed and cried, feeling angry and hurt, like she could never trust anyone again. Lily had trusted Sev, he'd been her best friend, the one person who she told everything to, confided in, yet he'd been mean, yelled at her, tore her heart apart. Lily couldn't forgive him for this, she'd never forget that day, how betrayed she felt. And the next few days went past, and the pain in her heart was almost unbearable, she missed Sev so much. She closed herself off from everyone, hid away so that nobody could ever find her, wouldn't talk or try to make friends. Sev was her friend. Now she'd felt the pain of that betrayal, she didn't want friends anymore. The only person who could now get Lily to talk would be Remus – they'd talk about their frustration with James, help each other out with homework, yell at James and Sirius when they refused to do homework. Lily found herself beginning to talk to the Marauders more, she already knew them as they were all in Gryffindor with her, and now that she didn't have Sev to talk to she'd go to them when she needed a friend._

_James irritated Lily though – if it wasn't for Remus, Sirius and Peter, she wouldn't even have talked to him. James was always pulling pranks on everyone, he'd even pulled a couple on Lily, but what really annoyed her was when he picked on Sev. Lily felt angry with herself whenever she felt defensive towards Sev – she hated him so much, yet part of her hated to see him so hurt._

_Lily's life was becoming difficult, full of complex emotions she couldn't understand, and she wished she could go back to being the same, young carefree girl she used to be – the one who found the beauty in every single magical experience she had. She missed all those moments she shared with Sev…_

"_Sev! Look at this!"_

_Lily ran, pulling Snape along behind her, up the hill that was dotted with little white daisies and yellow buttercups, up to the top._

_Up there they could see the entire town where they lived, people moving about appeared as small as ants. The top of the hill where they stood was dotted with trees, and wild flowers grew in patches around their feet. Snape picked a white one, gently tucking it above her ear._

"_A lily… for my Lily," he said, and Lily smiled in return. She began picking some flowers, and Snape helped too, and soon they had a small bouquet of colourful wild flowers, in pinks, reds, purples, whites and blues. When they had finished, Snape pulled out his wand, casting a shimmery gold ribbon that wrapped itself around the flowers, and he handed the bouquet back to Lily._

"_Who're the flowers for, Lils?"_

"_My mommy," she replied, then bent to pick a few pink petunias that grew at her feet._

"_And these are for Tuney."_

"_How are things going with Petunia?" Snape asked as they began to walk back down the hill._

"_Not so good… she thinks I'm a freak."_

"_She's just jealous. You're sisters; she still loves you, Lils."_

"_I hope so, Sev. I wish I could make things better between us again. I wish I had my sister back."_

_She sighed sadly, and Snape took her hand and squeezed it._

"_It'll all be okay, Lils. And just think, soon we'll be going to Hogwarts. When you're gone she's sure to realize how much she misses you," he said comfortingly._

_Lily smiled in response, and hugged him. "Thanks, Sev! You always know what to say," she said. "I've got to go home now, see you tomorrow!"_

"_Bye Lily," Snape replied, then he watched as she skipped off, then headed towards his own home. He soon could hear excited squeals behind him, and he knew that Petunia had liked her flowers, and things would be better in the Evans' house for now. He just wished that things could be okay for him in his own home …_


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:**_** I still don't own any of these characters… *sighs***_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Well, here's chapter 5! Sorry about the delay in uploading this, I've been sick lately! :( Anyway, hope you like this chapter; it includes the Marauders this time! Yes, I know, I haven't really been writing about Neville… sorry about that. Also, I realize that in the books, Sirius Black should be locked up in Azkaban, and Peter Pettigrew is 'dead', but I've recently become… attached to all of the Marauders (if any of you have read the fan fiction 'Secrets are Walls that Keep us Alone' you'll understand why), and I thought that since I'm keeping James alive, might as well keep the other three Marauders around… I apologise if you don't like this. Oh, and in this chapter I tried to appeal more to the Jily shippers… even though I am a Snily one… but since I included Lily's history with Snape, it's only fair to include her history with James!**_

_**Please review! I haven't been getting many reviews, and I'm beginning to wonder whether anybody actually reads my writing…**_

"Hello James, Lily," Lupin said, standing awkwardly at the doorway to Godric's Hollow with Sirius and Peter, the other two Marauders. "We got your Owl about the Longbottoms."

"Such a sad thing," Peter Pettigrew, normally the quietest of the Marauders spoke up. "Frank and Alice were really kind people. They didn't deserve any of this."

"Nobody should have had to suffer at Voldemort's hands," Lupin said. "But life isn't fair. We have to move on, start our lives again, forget about the past."

"Dumbledore thinks he will rise again," said James. "What if he's right?"

"Then so be it. But we can't sit around all day worrying about our future. If we learn anything from all of this, it should be that life is short; anything can happen. We all just need to live life, enjoy ourselves. Have fun in every moment while it lasts."

"I second that," joked Sirius, and they all laughed, and just for a moment it felt like their schooldays again.

"How are the boys?" asked Sirius.

"Good, they seem to both like each other," Lily said, smiling, and they all headed into the nursery to go see Harry and Neville.

Both boys were fast asleep; Harry was cuddling a soft toy owl, and Neville was curled up in a little ball still clutching the rattle that he'd been playing with earlier.

The mood in the air lightened as they watched Neville blink his eyes open sleepily, yawn widely, stretch, then curl up in a ball and fall back asleep again.

They all tiptoed out of the room again, as quietly as they could so as not to disturb Harry or Neville, and then they ate lunch together.

It was just like old times again, the five of them all laughing together, teasing James and Sirius about how much trouble they were at Hogwarts. Everybody was careful not to mention Voldemort, or Frank and Alice. And in this moment, they could pretend like nothing bad had ever happened, that it would all be okay, nothing would ever go wrong again…

…..

_Lily sat down next to the four Marauders, laughing as Sirius and James teased Remus. She hadn't known them for long, but they'd all welcomed her, and she felt now that she had a place to belong._

_It had been nearly a week since Lily had that fight with Sev, and she'd felt alone, distrustful. Then Remus came and talked to her, invited her to sit with the Marauders at meal times, and things started looking brighter for Lily. She found that she laughed more, lightened up. Lily had never had that with Sev. He'd been the one she'd look to when she needed someone to confide in, but she'd never looked to him to make her laugh. Yet she still missed him – the way he'd do the sweetest things like picking the first spring flowers into a bouquet for her, or sit there for hours with her, just content to talk._

_Lily didn't know how, but suddenly things had become much more complicated than she could ever have imagined them to be. She thought she understood everything about life, but it turned out she was wrong. How could you still care for someone when they betrayed you? How could you be both amused, yet annoyed by the same person? When you trust nobody, how can a simple act of kindness by one person open you up again? The questions all whirled around in her mind, barely making sense. Lily wished she knew the answers to all these questions, that she knew the solution to her problems._

_And she found that she hated Sev, yet she was afraid of losing him forever…_

...

After Sirius, Remus and Peter had left, James wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders.

"It'll all be okay, Lils," he murmured. "You know that right?"

"Yeah… but James, I'm scared," she whispered back. "What if… what if…" she choked out, too scared to finish her sentence.

"Look at me," he said, caressing her face and holding it up to his. "We have each other. We'll be fine."

"You think so?"

"I know." He leant down and kissed her lightly. "I'll never let anything happen to you, ever."

…..

_James wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow he ended up falling for Lily. How it came to be, that he fell in love with that girl, with her flaming red hair and her bright green eyes that glared at him every time she looked at him would always be a mystery. He knew she disliked him, possibly even hated him. So why was it that he cared so much about her?_

_James knew he should change himself, be a better person for Lily, but somehow he never did. He'd always be that boy who annoyed her, picked on the guy who she used to be best friends with. Of course she still cared about Snivellus, she always would. And deep down, James knew that Lily would never like him if he kept acting so mean towards him._

_Little did James know that Lily would change him, that one day she'd be able to stand his presence, even love him. He would become a better person one day, for her. For James would always do anything for Lily…_


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:**_** Nope, the characters still aren't mine! I'm working on it…**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** I present to you… chapter 6! Yes, I know, I got distracted last night and started writing random inspirational quote things… but I was stuck on how to go about this chapter. Well, here chapter 6 is, hope it turned out okay! Alright, I admit that this story is becoming less and less about Neville as it continues, but I promise you that I'll skip a few years so that Neville can actually talk! And for all you Jily shippers – I don't think that Lily will ever break up with James and go back to Snape, but who knows what will happen? I certainly don't, which is scary, because I'm supposed to be writing this! I guess I'm just going with gut instinct at the moment, writing whatever feels like going into my notebook/laptop… Anyway, keep reviewing! I haven't had many reviews :'( I'm feeling quite lonely… does anybody even read this?**_

_**Also, put me on story alert! I promise I'll update as much as I can – I want to find out what happens as much as you guys do! And next chapter – I promise it'll be about Neville!**_

Snape sighed as he slumped down into a chair between Minerva McGonagall and Dumbledore.

"What's up with you today, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Everybody hates me."

"That's not true," McGonagall said. "I like you, Dumbledore likes you."

"The students hate me though, Lily still hates me. And it's my fault… if I hadn't been such a jerk at school, disappeared off to be a death eater after…"

"She doesn't hate you, Severus," Dumbledore sighed. "You saved her life, James' and Harry's too. Give her time, she's confused. Saving her came with a price; Alice and Frank Longbottom are both dead. Lily's a good person – she'll forgive you."

"If you say so…"

…..

Lily couldn't sleep.

Whilst James lay next to her, one hand still holding her own even during sleep, Lily lay staring up at the ceiling, thoughts whirling around her head.

For the first time since her marriage to James, she'd seen Sev.

So much had changed since then, despite it being only a year.

She knew she'd hurt Sev, but she loved James. Lily had never been able to completely forgive Sev for what he did at school, and on her darkest days, James had been there, a mischievous sparkle in his eye, a special smile just for her. Sure, at first that smile had only been returned with glares, but over the years she found she'd smile back, or laugh at the plan she could tell he was plotting inside his head. Sev had been her dark knight. James was her angel, her saviour. She couldn't imagine her life without him now, but she wondered sometimes how different life would be if Sev had never betrayed her like that.

Lily was surprised how much it had hurt to see Sev standing there, gazing at her as if he was seeing her for the first time, screaming out apologies, yet never saying a word, dark shadows under his eyes from the stress from his time as a death eater. The pain wouldn't be over for Sev for a long, long time, so why couldn't she forgive him yet?

And James… where to begin with James? He'd changed a lot since school, that was true, but he still hated Sev… they'd always hate each other.

Lily knew that to James, Sev would always be 'the boy who tried to steal his girl', but now that she was married to him, why couldn't he move past it?

Lily sighed. She was one to talk – she had enough to worry about without trying to get James and Sev to get along...

…..

'_Lily,' _Snape wrote.

'_It was good to see you again. I'm sorry about everything I've done. I was stupid, and selfish, and I regret that. I hope one day you can forgive me, and we can be friends again. But I know you need time, so I'll stay out of your way. Enjoy yourself, look after Harry and Neville._

_Give my regards to James,' _he continued, hoping Lily wouldn't pick up the sarcasm in that last sentence.

'_Severus.'_

Snape sealed the short letter into an envelope. It had taken at least ten attempts to write this letter… there were no words to describe how he'd felt when seeing Lily again.

He wanted to tell Lily that he loved her, but he was scared of how she'd react. And she was with James now; she'd never take him back. It was too late for him.

He tied the letter to his owl, a snow white one with red tipped feathers (which of course he would never admit to anybody that she was named Lily), and sent her off to Godric's Hollow.

Lily wouldn't forgive him for a while, he knew. He'd give it time. She'd never be his again, but maybe one day he'd get a smile from her…


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:**_** None of the characters are mine… still.**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Chapter seven, wahoo! Yeah, so I haven't uploaded in like, ages, mainly because I've had no ideas, but also because it feels like nobody actually likes my writing sometimes. So PLEASE guys, review! Tell me what you like, or what you dislike. Heck, even drop by with an anonymous review; I don't care as long as somebody is actually reviewing! Also, yes, I am aware that I don't completely stick to the facts at times, but this is MY fanfiction, and I can do with it as I please! Thanks guys, and don't forget to leave a review!**_

The years went by, and Neville and Harry grew up.

Snape never wrote to Lily after that letter, the letter she never replied to. Lily hadn't wanted to face her past again, Snape hadn't tried to push Lily too hard to be friends again and lose her more in the process.

Neville grew up knowing that he was different, that he was a Longbottom and not a Potter, but he hadn't found out exactly what that meant yet. He would soon though, when the time was right.

James and Lily found that the time went past quickly now – they'd stopped worrying about whether Voldemort would return or not, and they felt blessed to have such sweet children as Harry and Neville, who had great times racing around the garden on toy brooms, pretending to be wizards and holding torches, shouting 'Lumos!' and 'Nox!' as they flicked the torches on and off.

Neville was like their own child, and Lily was so happy that Neville and Harry were best friends. Of course, the Potter family had their rough times, every family did. It was easy to get past those times though; all Lily ever needed to do to get Harry and Neville happy was give them ice cream. In fact, ice cream often worked if James was in a bad mood. Ice cream worked for everything.

The time continued to pass by, and soon Lily found that the boys were both 8 years old, and Harry had just cast his first spell. That was the moment where Lily felt relieved that both boys only knew spells such as Lumos and Nox, for Neville became immensely jealous of Harry, and began chasing Harry all around their house, screaming and throwing things whilst Harry yelled "Haha! I'm a real wizard now!" after which he began shouting out Lumos as though it was a spell that could hurt Neville.

Ice cream didn't make that fight better. And it was almost a whole week later when Neville cast his first spell. Then it was Neville's turn to laugh, as it turned out he was a stronger wizard than Harry.

Lily and James would watch in amusement as Harry would sulk, sad that he wasn't the special one, the 'real wizard' anymore.

But both boys soon forgave each other, especially when James and Lily went and bought them a copy of "Beginner Spells for Beginner Wizards," and they found that they each had different strengths and weaknesses.

And they soon found out that even though Harry and Neville were the same age, Harry was a born teacher and loved to help out Neville whenever he was stuck on a spell. And it turned out Neville was a great student, and loved to learn, even when it was Harry teaching him.

Lily still wished that Frank and Alice weren't dead, that Neville still had his real parents. But she knew that she would have hated it more if it had been her and James who died – it wasn't that she was scared of death, but more that she was terrified of the thought of Harry growing up an orphan, and she knew that she never wanted to ever lose Harry or James.

Why had this all happened? What could possibly have caused Voldemort to become so cruel, so evil? She didn't deserve any of this – none of them did.

Darkness, death, that's what Lily's life became. The young girl who saw the beauty and wonder in magic was gone, replaced by the woman who knew all of the malice magic could hold. She wanted to go back to her childhood again, be that same carefree child again, but that would never happen now.

Though she was only 29 years old now, she felt like an old woman. She'd been at Hogwarts when Voldemort had risen, and 21 when Frank and Alice died. And she was scared, hoping that what Dumbledore thought was wrong, that Voldemort would never come back again. She didn't want that darkness back again, never wanted Harry to see such fear, or Neville having to fight for them all. And Lily knew that one day she'd have to tell Neville the truth…

…..

"_Lily! James!" Alice yelled, running across the room, a big smile on her face, arms extended. She gave them both a huge hug, asking them all about what they'd been doing since they'd all left Hogwarts, yet didn't seem to be able to stop talking long enough for them to actually answer. This was the Alice they knew so well, and it seemed as if the break she'd had overseas had done her good, and there was a fresh glow in her cheeks and her eyes sparkled mischievously again._

"_So," Alice said. "I hear you two are getting married soon!" Lily blushed and smiled up at James, who was nodding, a huge grin on his face. "I'm so happy for you two," she continued, and then she gave a small giggle and flushed bright red as a man across the room winked at her._

"_Who's that, Ali?" Lily asked, punching her playfully in the arm._

"_Frank Longbottom," Alice replied, trying not to blush redder than she already was._

"_Oh, and who is Frank?" James teased._

"_Just some guy," Alice muttered. "We both were overseas on holiday at the same time, but it turns out he works as an Auror too!"_

"_He isn't 'just some guy' though Ali, is he? You're in loovveee!" Lily practically sang, a gleeful smile spreading across her face._

"_Yeah," Alice said, looking down at her feet sadly. "I'm too scared to tell him though."_

"_Just go tell him," Lily sighed. "He likes you, I can tell!"  
"Yes Alice, don't string him along like Lily did to me!"_

_Alice laughed and took a deep breath. "All right, I'm going to go over there right now and tell him!"_

_Then she spun around and walked towards Frank briskly, before she could change her mind, and Lily and James watched as she went over there, hoping that they had been right, that Frank liked her._

_Alice and Frank talked for a couple of minutes, and then as she told him her feelings, his eyes grew wide and a smile appeared on his face, and they embraced. Not long after, Alice came skipping over, a huge smile on her face, an equally happy Frank following her._

"_This is Frank," she said, gazing up at him dreamily. "Frank, this is Lily Evans and James Potter."_

"_Ah, so you're the two who convinced this lovely girl to come tell me her feelings?" he said, smiling warmly as they nodded. "Thank you so much. I was too scared to tell her how I felt because I didn't know she liked me too."_

_Alice grasped Frank's hand and leaned against his shoulder. "Thank you," she said to both James and Lily, and then they all fell silent and the mood became a bit more sombre as Dumbledore began the meeting._


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:**_** I own all these characters! NOT! I wish I did though… sadly, none of them belong to me. *sniffs* If they did belong to me, well… I'd have so much money I wouldn't know what to do with it!**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Chapter eight! So, I'm quite disappointed… you guys do realise I can see how many hits there's been on my story... is it really THAT hard to review? If you've read it, can you let me know what you think, even if it's just to tell me that my writing is useless? Because if nobody tells me what they think of my writing, well, then I won't know what you all think of it! Okay, little rant over… here's the chapter where everything kind of changes, secrets are revealed…**_

_**Oh, and you'd never believe what has happened! Yes, I've said a couple of times throughout the story that I ship Snily, but recently… I've started falling for Jily. I guess I can't help it, but now I'm stuck in the situation where I love both SO MUCH! Aggh, just adding to the complications… but I am tending towards shipping Jily… partly because James is just so damn perfect, and I'm becoming a bit attatched to him in this story, and also partly because of a video I've found on YouTube, called 'You wouldn't let me let you go.' It's amazing, and so heart-breakingly perfect… and it's got me hooked on Jily. Weell… little rambly thing over, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!**_

"Mommy?" ten year old Neville asked. "Why do I have a different last name from you?"

Lily sighed as she saw Neville gaze up at her with curiosity, and knew it was time that he knew the truth, even if he hated her for it. He deserved to know.

"Sit down here, Neville. I have a story to tell you."

And she told him everything, about how she and James weren't his actual parents, that Alice and Frank had been cursed by Bellatrix Lestrange, how they'd died to save him. She told him about Voldemort, and the prophecy that could have referred to either him or Harry, and about Severus Snape, the man that saved their lives. But she didn't tell him about how Dumbledore thought that Voldemort might rise again; he was too young to know that, just a child who needed to be a kid whilst he still could. And when she finished talking, Lily sat there nervously, looking at Neville as he thought about this information.

"That bad man could have killed you?" Neville asked, looking worried. "I don't want you to die, ever!"

Lily breathed a sigh of relief then, but she felt sadness returning when she thought of how different life could have been. Someday Neville would realise what losing his parents meant, and she hoped when that happened he wouldn't hate her for it, and that he could remember his parents as heroes…

…..

_It was a dark, stormy evening, and Lily could feel that sinking feeling in her stomach, that niggling sensation that was telling her something wasn't right, something bad would happen. She shook it off though. 'Just nerves,' Lily told herself. 'Everything will be fine.'_

_She was with Alice and Frank, and they'd found out about one of the Death Eater's hiding places, which they would ambush tonight. Lily wished James could come, she felt safer with him around, but James had been injured recently, and whilst magic had practically healed his injuries, he needed his rest. Lily was glad that he wasn't with her though; if anything went wrong tonight, if she died, then at least James was with Harry, and Harry would never be alone._

_She crept along the dark lane behind Frank and Alice as silently as she could, nobody talking for fear that they'd be heard._

_They continued on for a few more minutes, until Frank broke the silence and whispered softly 'almost there'. Lily looked up at Frank and smiled, losing her concentration for a few seconds, then she felt her ankle twist as she stepped in a small pot hole in the ground. _

"_You okay?" Alice asked as Lily winced from the pain._

"_I'll be fine," Lily said, sitting down on the ground and taking out her wand. "You two go ahead, I'm good at healing spells, I'll be okay in a minute."_

_Alice nodded reluctantly, then she and Frank both continued heading towards the Death Eater's hideout._

_Lily cradled her foot carefully with one hand and held her wand in the other, muttering incantations to heal her ankle. She'd always been good at healing spells, and though she preferred not to heal herself, Remus Lupin would help her out usually, she was finished healing her ankle in just a couple of minutes, and she stood up, gingerly testing her ankle. Satisfied that she was fine, she turned towards the Death Eater's hideout and walked straight into Sev._

_How she'd missed him, but her shock in seeing him was replaced by horror as she realized her worst nightmares had come true… Sev had a cold, dull look in his eyes that made her feel uneasy, and the sleeve of his robe was pushed up high enough that she could see the bottom of a Dark Mark tattooed into his arm._

"_Lily…" he said, looking at her with concern. "You shouldn't be here, it isn't safe."_

"_Oh, but it's okay for you, is it? What, you're a Death Eater now?" Lily pushed past him, but Snape grabbed her arm._

"_Don't, Sev! Let me go!" she cried, but he didn't release her, just stared at her with those black eyes, and then she heard the screams…_

…..

"Lily!" James cried, as she bolted upright in bed. "Lils, what's wrong?"

"Th.. th.. their screams, James! I've never heard anything like it in my life, I never want to hear them again…"

"The nightmare again?"

"The same one. Always the same."

"It'll be fine," James said, rubbing her back gently.

"No, it's not fine, James! Can't you get that? Every time, I wake up and tell myself it's just a dream, but it's not! It's real, and I see it in my head every time – their screams, my heart pounding as I race to save them, but I'm too late! I hide in the shadows terrified, too cowardly to stop those Death Eaters from torturing them. I see the whole thing, but I don't do anything, that's what I have to live with!" Lily yelled, tears beginning to drip down her face.

"It's not your fault."

"But it is! It's all my fault… if I'd just been braver, tried to save them…" she broke off, the tears now streaming down her face.

"Shhh, it's okay, we'll be okay…"

"No, it's not okay, it never will be!" she shouted as he tried to comfort her. "You don't understand, just leave me alone, Potter!"

And with that, she fled from the room, and James could hear the door slam as she ran out of the house. He felt guilty for upsetting her, yet confused. He had tried to comfort her, but all he'd done was make it worse. Lily said he didn't understand, and that hurt. He'd been through almost as much as her, lost people he loved too. But what hurt the most was that she'd called him 'Potter' again. It had been years since she'd called him that, and he knew he was losing her. Lily Evans, the only girl he could ever love, was slipping further away from him with every word he spoke.

**AUTHORS NOTE 2: **_**Please, please, PLEASE review! Thanks!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:**_** JK Rowling won't give me any of the characters, not even for my birthday. Not even Lily. I'm really considering kidnapping Lily, I want her as a sister…**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Yes, I know, short chapter… sorry about that. I wanted it to be longer, but the truth is, I'm tired. If there is something that doesn't make sense, tell me, it will most likely be a mistake, especially seeing as I'm up at 3:30am… anyway, I've been quite worked up the past few hours, and I've spent a lot of time venting to other people online, and crying in real life. Long story… it's explained a bit in the author's note for 'Give in to You'. Anyway, here is chapter nine, hope you enjoy it! Please, please review, I feel really sad when nobody reviews. So, if you're reading this, tell me what you think, even if you just send a rating out of 10 or something…**_

Lily sat by herself in the park outside her childhood home; the park where she'd met Sev, found out she was a witch. The park where her whole life changed… though it hurt to think about Sev, this was the place she'd always felt safe – no matter what was happening, she could still call this home. Of course, she didn't live there anymore, and Tuney live with Vernon Dursley now, and since her parents had died their old house had been sold. Lily didn't care much for her old house. She missed her parents a lot, and she missed the days when Tuney would talk to her, play with her instead of yelling at her and calling her a freak. Life had been so simple then, so easy. Things had changed so much since then, and she hoped that Harry and Neville would never have to go through what she had to.

She felt bad for running out and leaving James, annoyed at her own lack of patience with him. She'd felt angry, bitter and upset, she hadn't stopped to think. But the one image that remained in Lily's head was the one of James looking at her sadly with pain in his eyes as she called him Potter. He hated that, he always had. James had often said that the moment he knew for sure that she loved him back was the first time she called him James. To go back to calling him Potter now was mean and spiteful.

But she couldn't take back what she'd said; couldn't turn back time. Lily knew she should go back, apologise, make things right between her and James, but she couldn't just yet. She knew that James would forgive her right away, but she didn't want his forgiveness just yet. She didn't deserve it.

…..

James was sick with worry. He was scared that something would happen to Lily, or that she'd leave him. It had taken years for James to get Lily to even be friends with him, and even longer to get her to admit that she loved him. And now that he'd finally got her, she was slipping away from him, that fiery glare flashing in her green eyes. He loved those eyes, like the colours of the evergreen trees she sat in the shade of, and when she was angry, they were stunning emeralds, cold fire dancing in their glimmering depths.

He loved that glare of hers, so wild and untamed, but he hated it when she turned that glare on towards him. For such a sweet, innocent little thing, she had her dark side, and was immensely talented at holding grudges.

What scared him was that he didn't know where she'd gone. But what scared him more was that he didn't know how to bring her back…


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER:**_** None of these characters are mine…**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Chapter ten! This one is for the Jily shippers… and because the story has been mostly Snily flashbacks, so here's some Jily ones! And yes, I'm turning slowly into Lily… I can't quite decide between the two, but I prefer James a little more…**_

_**Well, sorry I haven't uploaded much recently… I started watching Doctor Who about 3 days ago, and I am COMPLETELY OBSSESSED! It's amazing! And I know I should have started watching it earlier, but I was too scared of watching it because I knew I'd get addicted… and also, to tell you the truth, I haven't been writing this one much because I really didn't know where to go with this chapter. But I finished it eventually…**_

_**Please review, I promise that if I get more reviews I'll update more. Us writers crave reviews…**_

"Daddy?" Harry asked, gazing up at James with wide, green eyes. Lily's eyes, he thought sadly. When would she come home? It had been three days, and he still hadn't heard from her, was she okay?

"Where's Mommy?" Harry continued, and James sighed in defeat. He knew Harry would ask that, and he didn't know how to answer.

"I don't know, Harry," James said sadly. "I don't know where she is."

"Will she ever come back?"

"She will. Mommy just needs some time by herself, okay?"

James didn't know if he'd ever get Lily back, but he knew she wouldn't stay away forever. She would never leave Harry; she loved him too much to abandon him. But there was that small part inside of him that was scared; scared that something had happened to Lily, or that she was so hurt she'd never return. What had he done that was so wrong? Or was it just the little things adding up to make a big problem?

That was the thing with Lily; she'd suffer in silence for years before she'd admit to anyone about what she truly felt…

…..

"_I love you, Lily," James said, grasping her hands with his own, looking into her emerald eyes. "Why can't you just give me a chance?"_

"_Stop it, Potter!" she said, squirming and ducking her head so she wouldn't have to meet his eyes. "Let me go!"_

_He lifted her head with one hand so that she was looking at him. "I can see you like me, Lily. Trust your feelings!" He smiled at her then, that crooked smirk that always made her want to smile back. This time she let a small smile appear on her face, just a little smug one._

"_If you ever need me Lils, I'll be there," he whispered into her ear, and Lily felt her heart flutter with longing for him. Then he pulled away and turned around, walking away from her._

"_James!" Lily cried out, dropping all her defences against him, and she saw the pure joy in his eyes as he turned towards her. She ran towards him, kissing him on the lips, her hands tangling in his messy hair, his arms around her holding her close._

_They stood like that for a minute, oblivious to the world, the students that stopped to stare. For the first time, Lily was truly happy, she knew that right now all she wanted was to be with James. And when they finally pulled away, James hugged her tightly, never wanting to let her go in case she left him again, and for the first time, Lily whispered back to him. "I love you too."_

…..

_James stroked Lily's hair that spilled over his legs and the couch as she curled around him. _

"_What made you fall in love with me?" he asked, looking down at her._

"_Your smile," she said, and grinned at him. "No matter how arrogant you were, I couldn't help but love that smile," Lily teased. "What about you? What made you fall in love with me?"_

"_Your temper, red hot like your hair. And how innocent you would look, sitting underneath a tree, reading. Or when the snow would fall in flakes around you, and you'd laugh with your friends." He looked at Lily, smiled at how wide her eyes were. "Want me to go on?" he teased, and she laughed, but shook her head._

"_I think I get the point James."_

_They sat there in silence then, James' arms around Lily, their eyes closed in bliss. James knew that she was the girl for him, the one that he was destined to be with. He wanted to lie like this forever, alone with her, no worries about Voldemort, just peace at last. And he suddenly knew what he had to do, needed to do before anything else ever happened._

"_Lils?" he asked gently._

"_Yeah?"_

"_Will you…" he swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. "Will you marry me?"_

_Lily opened her eyes, stared in astonishment at James as he bit his lip nervously. _

"_Is this not a good time… did you want me to get a ring first… should I…" he choked out, silenced suddenly by Lily planting kisses on his lips and cheeks._

"_Yes! I want to marry you James!" she said between kisses. "This is perfect, nothing could be better!"_

_He sighed in relief, then laughed as he watched Lily dance around in excitement._

_She was happy, and when she was happy, he was happy. Maybe what they needed during this war was a wedding…_

…..

Lily hated him. She really did. But she loved James with all her heart, hated leaving him. '_There's a thin line between love and hate.' _A Muggle saying. She'd heard her parents say that before, and she'd never really understood what it meant. How could you love someone you hated? But she'd realized that was exactly how she felt about James, how she always would feel. And after three days, her hatred and bitterness had turned into regret and longing, and she knew she couldn't leave him, her love for him was too strong, it outweighed the hate. Leaving James was like tearing her heart in two, leaving Harry was worse. Her hatred was her love, and it was time for her to go back, to let her true feelings in again…


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER:**_** All the characters belong to JK Rowling. The plot line sort of belonged to me… well, parts of it did.**_

**AUTHORS NOTE:**_** Chapter eleven, the last chapter for this particular fanfiction! Fear not, I shall continue with the series, so keep an eye out for book 2: 'Neville Longbottom and the Two Faced Man'! I am quite sad to finish this, but it was turning more into a fanfiction about Lily than one about Neville… whoops! Anyway, the next one shall start with Neville and Harry going to Hogwarts, so there shall be lots more of Neville in it! Please take a visit to my polls and let me know what you think about what houses some of the characters should be sorted into, and send me a review letting me know what you thought of this fanfiction! (Please tell me the harsh truth if you didn't like it, I'd rather know than not know at all.) So, farewell for now, I look forward to seeing you when I upload the first chapters for the next book, though I may read Philosophers Stone again first. I apologise about how short this chapter is, I couldn't work out how to make it any longer… Love you all, and thanks for sticking with this fanfiction through to the end! 3 xx NightLilyWanderer xx**_

"Lily!" James cried in excitement as he opened the door to Godric's Hollow and saw her standing there. "You're home again!"

Then he hugged her tightly, too afraid that she would pull away, leave again, but she didn't. "Don't you ever leave me again," he said, and she sobbed into his shoulder. "I won't. I promise. I can't live without you, James."

And then Harry and Neville were clinging to her, and Lily was smiling through her tears, laughing as James pulled faces at her. Nothing had changed between them; James had forgiven her for leaving. Lily would never forgive herself for leaving, and the guilt she felt would remind her of why she should never leave again. But for now things were okay. The war was over, Harry and Neville were happy, healthy children who would start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry next year, and James would always be there for her.

There's a thin line between love and hate, but never would she let her hatred take over again, consume her in its fiery depths as it destroyed everything she loved. No, love would save her, keep her strong. Love would save all of them when the darkness comes.


End file.
